So you decided to go meat-free! Good for you. It is a choice that, if done conscientiously, will benefit the planet, your health, and your wallet.
 
It’s never easy for newbie vegetarians to make the switch at first – they might find that their homemade food lacks texture and flavor. It doesn’t have to be this way! Finding staple recipes that ease you into vegetarianism without missing out on the texture, flavor, or nutrition, is key to sticking with it in the long term.
 
Here are 3 delicious, must-try recipes for newbie vegetarians.

Beans are a great source of vitamins, minerals, and protein. They also really “stick to your ribs” to make you feel full and satisfied after your meal. This recipe is only mildly spicy, but you can choose to add your favorite hot sauce if you want to spice it up.
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Ingredients (serves 4-6):

• 1 can black beans
• 1 can red beans
• 1 can white beans
• 2 cups stewed tomatoes (homemade or canned)
• ½ cup tomato paste
• 1 cup carrots, cubed
• 1 cup celery, cubed
• ½ cup green pepper, chopped
• ¼ cup yellow onions, in slivers
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
• 1 tbsp. curry powder
• 2 tbsp. cumin
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 3 bay leaves
• ½ jalapeño pepper, chopped, seeds removed
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Heat up oil in a large pot.
2. Add onions and garlic and heat on low until transparent
3. Add green pepper, carrots, jalapeño, and celery and sauté until slightly brown
4. Drain beans and add to the pot.
5. Then add stewed tomatoes and tomato paste and stir together. If it is too thick, add ½ cup water.
6. Stir in spices, cover, and let simmer for 25-30 minutes.
7. Top with regular or vegan cheese and avocado, and serve with brown rice.

One of the most common foods that newbie vegetarians miss is hamburgers. Portobello mushrooms are about the size of a hamburger patty, and they have a texture that is consistent and slightly bouncy like meat. It can be seasoned as such, but at the same time it’s refreshing and light—unlike anything you have ever tried before.

Ingredients for Burgers:

• 4 Whole wheat buns
• 1 sliced tomato
• 12 pickle slices
• 4 Portobello Mushrooms
• 4 lettuce leaves
• Onion slices
• Olive oil

For BBQ Sauce:

• ½ cup tomato paste
• ½ cup water
• 3 tbsp. vegan Worcestershire sauce
• ½ tbsp. teriyaki sauce
• 2 tbsp. red wine vinegar (or apple cider vinegar)
• 2 tbsp. brown sugar
• Salt and pepper to taste

Serves 4. Top with cheese, if desired.

Instructions:
For the BBQ sauce, mix the ingredients in a bowl until it reached your desired consistency. If you would like it to be thicker, you can put all of the ingredients in a small saucepan, stir, and simmer for 5-10 minutes.
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Heat up the grill or a grilling pan. Rub olive oil on the Portobello mushrooms, and sprinkle salt and pepper on them to taste. Once the grill is hot, place the Portobello mushrooms on it and grill for about 5 minutes each side, or until the mushroom reaches your desired consistency.

You can also cover the mushrooms with aluminum foil as you grill them to heat them more thoroughly.

Slather the BBQ sauce on the buns, then put on the Portobello mushroom with all of the fixin’s.

This hearty soup is perfect for cold weather. Pair it with a slice of pita and you have a perfect fall meal.

Ingredients:

• 4 cups vegetable stock
• 1 lb. potatoes, cubed (you can leave the skin on, if preferred)
• 3 leeks, sliced
• 3 cloves garlic
• ¼ cup chopped onion
• 2 Tbsp. olive oil
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Splash of white wine

Instructions:
Heat up the oil and add onions and garlic until transparent. Add potatoes, and leeks until covered with oil. Add the vegetable stock and spices and bring to a boil. Let simmer on low for about 20 minutes until the potatoes are very soft.

With an immersion blender, blend the soup until it reaches your desired consistency. Add the white wine and let simmer for another 10 minutes. Serve and top with chives.
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Do you know someone who has just gone vegetarian? Share these recipes with them to make their shift to a plant-based diet easier and yummier!

Lately, we have been super busy here at YogaWasi: Preparing workshops, renovating spaces, making a sign!!!  When on the go, or when we have three classes to teach in a row, we don't often have time to eat a full meal. So, often we have to eat what we can, when we can. Every yogi has a preference... sometimes we prefer bananas (though not Bre, she hates them). Sometimes we like to have that once piece of chocolate, just in case (that would be me). Others of us love oranges or carry around a salad. Personally, here are 4 other tasty food items that I believe every person should have around in order to avoid burning out or turning to junk food or processed food. As of now, as I type up this blog, my mouth is full of almonds and I have an apple nearby! Yum :)  ~ Ashley Cruz

I’ve never been much of a nut person, until I discovered raw almonds. They have a neutral flavor, are hearty enough to fight hunger with only a handful, and can easily be spiffed up for company.

I keep a bag of raw almonds in my purse all the time! When I am stuck in traffic, in line at the bank, or missed breakfast, I start nibbling on almonds.
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I prefer raw almonds over roasted, salted, and flavored ones because those usually have ridiculous amounts of sodium, artificial flavoring, and coloring. If I want to make them a little more interesting, I spread them out on a parchment-lined pan, heat up the oven and sprinkle on my spice of choice.

If you want a sweeter option (perfect for the fall), sprinkle them with a bit of brown sugar and cinnamon. If you are up for a savory version, try some powdered garlic and parmesan cheese.

Rosemary is my favorite herb of all time. While it does offer a range of vitamins and minerals, like Vitamins C and A, Calcium, and Iron, I love that it packs in tons of flavor for only a few calories.
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I always keep a pot of fresh rosemary in my garden, and regularly snip off a sprig or two to add to my meals at least three times a week. I put it on roasted chicken, in soups, and even in my breakfast eggs (try it! You’ll be surprised)

Apples are often underrated because they seem like a pretty “basic” fruit. Fact is, one apple has almost 20% of your %DV (Percent Daily Value) for dietary fiber, and has a bit of most vitamins and minerals.
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The reason I always keep them around is that they seem like they never go bad. While your melons, spinach, and strawberries will begin to wilt and go moldy within about a week, your apples can seem just as fresh as when you bought them even a month after their purchase.

This is perfect for a busy person like me who feels funky if I don’t get enough fruit for the day, but is often too busy to make frequent visits to the market. It’s much better than reaching for a packaged granola bar or a piece of candy, for sure!

Olive oil is packed with Omega-3 monounsaturated fatty acids, which are healthy fats that promote heart and brain health. I love the taste of extra-virgin olive oil on my salad, or as a side to some freshly baked bread.

I also cook pretty much everything with it. When a recipe calls for vegetable oil, I usually switch it out for olive oil to get an improvement to the flavor.
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There are tons of other food items that I love to have around in addition to these four things, but these are the ones I always make sure I never run low on. They help me make better choices and keep me feeling like I am on the right track.

Enjoy this wonderful video! It's a taste of the fun and enjoyment you can have in classes with Karen Love!

Estoy consciente en mí misma.
Puedo concentrarme en la calma de mi aliento.
Me siento firme, segura, digna y completa.

♥

I am present within myself.
I can center myself with the ease of my breath.
I feel grounded, confident, worthy and whole. 


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❤ Lo hace parecer tan fácil ❤  / ❤ He makes it look so easy ❤

Sore muscles, injuries, over-extension of the body…if you’re an athlete then you’re no stranger to these. From running track to weight lifting, chances are you’ve experienced some type of injury or strain throughout your life. Injuries may be inevitable at one point or another, but what if I told you there is a practice even the most trained of athletes could adopt to prolong and minimize injury?

Enter Yin Yoga. A gentle, yet challenging, yoga practice that allows you to drop into your own body, listen, and be present with anything and everything that comes up, both physically and mentally. Yin is a seated, grounding practice, within which poses are held for 3-5 minutes in order to bring mobility to the joints and ligaments. By practicing this style of yoga, athletes are able to work deeper into the muscles to transform the way the body moves.

In most classes you see in Western yoga, students are working with their yang muscles, or power muscles, which can be similar to an athlete’s normal routine. When practicing yin yoga, students are asked to relax into postures, taking on a more passive approach to working through deep connective tissue and fascia in the body. Fascia, oh, juicy fascia, connects every part of our body together and by caring for your fascia, you are maximizing athletic performance and muscle flexibility.
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Yin Yoga offers athletes a chance to find stillness in the mind and body. Given that poses are being held much longer than a yang-style yoga class, a student will notice everything under the sun come up in their mind and body. From sensation in the hips to thoughts about past experiences, yin allows these physical and mental emotions to rise and be released through the power of passive movement. When intimately working with the body by breaking through connective tissue, students will find themselves breaking through old emotional patterns and coming out of class stronger. Not only in the body, but in the mind as well.